COMM1150 Course Concepts 1
Levels, lenses, heterogeneity, change, and complexity
This document contains a list of some core concepts from each of the lenses explored in this course to
help understand the business environment. It is designed to provide you with some guidance on
topics you may explore in developing your Group Report for Assessment 3A and 3B.
The list is not exhaustive – it does not include every concept, theory or idea you can learn in this
course.

For any given lens, locate/identify threats and opportunities affecting the primary
mission/purpose of the organisation of your choice. In doing that, employ the core concepts
we have introduced in the course: levels, heterogeneity, change, and overall complexity.
The business environment includes any phenomenon or issue that significantly affects an
organisation’s mission/purpose. Heterogeneity of various kinds shapes business
environments at the same level (e.g., national cultures, COVID vaccination rates across
countries or states, GDP and unemployment rate, etc.). The difference across contexts at
different levels could point to where opportunities or threats exist. And, of course, these are
all subject to change and they do change and perhaps at different rates, further creating
opportunities and threats.
As you examine a (multi-level) phenomenon from multiple lenses, complexity comes to the
fore. Something that is normatively unacceptable (think culture) and detrimental to the
environment (sustainability) could be good for short-term economic growth and political
popularity. You can think about the same issue across levels: polluting your way to
economic growth could eliminate poverty nationally but could have lasting negative
consequences for the planet.

Socio-Cultural Lens
• Culture (think about the definitions and characteristics of culture--groups at
different levels and membership in them)
• Cultural diversity/heterogeneity (see how cultures systematically vary as in the
value dimensions and other frameworks for understanding culture and its
manifestations)
• Culture at different levels
• (Causes and consequences of) cultural change
• Technology’s impact on culture (e.g., GPS, AI, etc.)
• Culture’s impact on technology (e.g., culture mediates or limits the possibilities of
technology use)
• Identity and its impact on global business environments (e.g., European identify
and the EU)
• Social structure (cultures shapes how entrepreneurs/people relate to one another)
• Frameworks for understanding culture
• Value dimensions and their manifestations in organisations (organisational
structure, business leaders, the purpose of corporations, communication etc.)
COMM1150 Course Concepts 2

Political-Legal Lens
• The international political order: the nation-state system
• Sovereignty: the central importance of the state on global business environments
at various levels (national and international) and across different issues (uses of
technology, taxes, international order and rule-making etc.)
• Bureaucracy and state capacity and effectiveness (failed/fragile states) and their
impact on
• Political risk (sources of political risk—levels and actors)
• Rule of law and its relevance for businesses: variation across countries and change
over time
• Legal systems and the different kinds of law relevant for businesses: contract,
competition, employment, consumer protection, intellectual property, etc.)
• Legal risk (see rule of law)
• Corruption (relate this to the discussion on rule of law, bureaucracy and state
capacity/effectiveness as well as cultural issues)
• Extraterritoriality
• Knowledge society/economy and the importance of intellectual property (the
various uses of intellectual property assets)
• International law and WTO


Economic Lens
• Aggregate economic indicators:
o GDP
o Inflation
o Unemployment
• Levels of economic aggregation – local, state/province, nation, region, global
• Heterogeneity – within locations, between locations
• Change – economies change over time, sometimes quickly due to shock, more
commonly a slower change
• Income fluctuations – times of growth or recession
• What is the Expenditure Multiplier and what impact could this have on business?
• What are Automatic Stabilisers and how do they affect the economy and business
operations?
• Income inequality – what is it and why is it important to understand?
• Fiscal and Monetary Policy from government are designed to affect the economy
and business. What are they and how can business manage their response?
• Money and inflation and their impact on business
COMM1150 Course Concepts 3

Sustainability Lens
• What is sustainability in the business context?
• What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how do they affect the
business environment?
• At what levels of analysis should sustainability be assessed and/or implemented?
(e.g., local, regional, national, global)
• How has the concept and application of sustainability changed over time?
• Heterogeneity - Why might the approach to sustainability be different between
locations?